War in the Middle East

The first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire allowed Palestinians to return to communities in Gaza’s devastated north. But as they try to pick up the pieces of their lives, the peace framework is shaking.

The kibbutzim and other Israeli communities near Gaza still bear the marks of Oct. 7. But as hostages return home, they are shifting toward rebirth.

Benjamin Netanyahu is in a bind over Gaza. His hard-right allies want to resume the war. An emotional Israeli public wants more hostages released. The Trump administration wants the ceasefire with Hamas to proceed.

President Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and expel its residents was received in an Israel exhausted by conflict and lacking a “day after” plan of its own. 

Jordanian King Abdullah’s meeting with Donald Trump Tuesday was one of the most consequential of his 25-year reign. His mission: to get the U.S. president to walk back his plan to relocate Gaza’s population to Jordan and Egypt.

As Israel presses ahead with a massive military operation targeting militants in the West Bank, it’s relying on tactics used in the war in Gaza. The result for Palestinians is a rising level of destruction and displacement.

Whatever becomes of President Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and resettle the Palestinians there, the Arab world is not on board. Many consider the plan a form of what the U.N. terms “ethnic cleansing.” Some say it could lead to war.

While President Trump has ridiculed past U.S. military deployments and nation-building efforts, he has consistently been drawn to Mideast diplomacy. But his proposal to “own” and develop the Gaza Strip and displace its population has many questioning how serious he is.

Joyful family reunions that the ceasefire has enabled in Israel are being echoed in the West Bank and Gaza. But few freed Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were jailed for decades, knew much of the Gaza war, or its staggering costs.

The stage-managed spectacle of Israeli hostages being released in Gaza serves political interests on both sides. Hamas’ assertions that it is still in power bolster the argument that Prime Minister Netanyahu still has a job to do.

Palestinian residents of Gaza, the vast majority of them homeless, celebrated when the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was announced. But as they return home, the destruction they are finding is almost too much to comprehend.

As Israelis celebrate the return of hostages held in Gaza, they are also anguished over the long time it took to bring them home. A nagging question for many is whether a social contract of mutual responsibility has been broken.

What resources and time will Donald Trump’s “America First” administration devote to keeping the Israel-Hamas deal on track? The challenges may appear overwhelming, but the idea of a grand deal is enticing.

Over more than 15 months of war and loss, Israeli and Palestinian emotions have been rubbed raw, or suppressed. Now they are being released by an imminent ceasefire, even as questions over its durability persist.

Word of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal was greeted with relief and some celebrations. But Israelis and Palestinians have been disappointed before; joy over the fragile deal was muted.